From the development of the typewriter to the present day personal computer, one single type of input format has been used. The typewriter QWERTY arrangement of keys has been augmented for the computer with various other keys such as the ESCAPE key, function keys, directional keys, number pad keys, etc. In all, most keyboards for use with modem personal computers comprise over 50 different keys. Although many other keys may be desirable for the expert user, additional keys require additional space which would require larger and larger keyboards, a prospect which is not aesthetically or functionally practical.
Additionally, use of the keyboard as the sole input device limits the effectiveness of the computer for performing word processing and graphics functions, particularly as software for performing these functions becomes increasingly sophisticated. As such, secondary input devices, such as a mouse, were developed to assist the user in placing and relocating a cursor or other locational device in these software packages. The combination of the keyboard and mouse enables a wider variety of inputs and control by a user. The increasing number of options, however, also results in greater complexity for the user in being able to operate and utilize these options.
This problem is additionally compounded by the increasing necessity to be able to use computers for accessing information, operating a business, ordering products, etc. Many people have never learned the QWERTY keyboard system, what the function keys do or how a mouse works. For these people, the prospect of learning to use 50-plus keys on a keyboard in addition to a mouse is daunting, particularly because of the increasing complexity of those devices.
Learning the use of the keyboard requires familiarity with the QWERTY ordering system. Moreover, the keyboard arrangement requires a user to develop dexterity with his or her fingers to be able to effectively and efficiently reach and depress each key on the keyboard. With ten fingers and over 50 keys, movement of the hands and fingers across a keyboard requires skill and practice. Often, a user must look at the keyboard to remember the location of less often used keys such as the } key or the − key on a keyboard, for example. Moreover, because a user must move fingers from the “home” positions to depress other keys, mistakes in replacing the fingers on the proper keys are common.
Also, the addition of the mouse requires the user to often look down to locate the mouse or to replace his or her hand on the keyboard after use of the mouse. This requires the user to divert his or her eyes from the screen to place his or her hand or to locate a particular key and then to refocus his or her eyes on the proper location on the screen. In complicated software packages, relocating the proper place on the screen may be difficult and needlessly consume time which could more effectively be spent operating the software.